The past four years at Huntington Park High School have been a great experience, filled with amazing people and wonderful opportunities. When I came in 2019 as a freshman, I didn’t know anyone because I came from a middle school in Bell. As it happens, HP wasn’t my first choice; I had enrolled late for the Magnet Program at Bell High School, was put on the waiting list, which led me to enroll at Huntington Park High School since it was my second choice. My third choice was South Gate, however, that school was too far away.
On the first day of 9th grade, I was scared and nervous about how my day would go. I was also mad because I wasn’t going to Bell High School, where most of my friends went. Except that out of the corner of my eye, I saw two girls I recognized–they were my old friends from Elementary School. I never felt so lucky to see someone I knew. We talked about our schedules and compared them with each other. I realized our spark from elementary school was still there.
Regardless of knowing these two girls, I still wanted to switch schools, I wanted to go where my middle school friends were. I would remind my mom to call and see where I was on the waiting list and nag her about when I’d be transferring schools. But before I knew it I would get over this phase and forget about switching schools.
One of the reasons was continuing SRLA. I remember going to the main office and asking who and where the coach of SRLA was so that I could continue my running journey. Going to practice for the first time was nerve-wracking, but that feeling slowly faded. I made new friends and got to know different types of people. I’m thankful for having an amazing coach like Bonsteel. Thankful for the coach who hugged me on mile 18 or 19 during this year’s marathon, who knew that a simple meaningful hug of his would make my eyes watery. That goes to every teacher I was able to build a bond with or strengthen our bond through SRLA such as Dr. Alamo and Mr. Ta.
My second reason was having the opportunity to have Mrs. Romias all my four years. It didn’t take long to realize how lucky I was to have her as my teacher. Other students would wish they had her as their physics teacher, but luckily I had. I like seeing the effort she puts into her job, always going above and beyond, including the positive energy in her. A memory that will stay with me was when no one told her to track a student down because she forgot to tell them “Happy Birthday” in class and their birthday happened to be on the weekend. When she did that, she made me feel seen and special. It caught me off guard but also brought me joy that she came into my fourth-period class and told me those two words that then followed up with a wondering question about what I did for my birthday.
It has been a pleasure being a part of Huntington Park High School. Things happen for a reason, even if it’s something you don’t want at the moment, it all works out in the end; you just need a little patience and an open mind. I feel lucky, extremely grateful, and appreciative to have spent four years here. I met inspiring teachers whose support and encouragement have meant a lot to me. But now, I must continue my next four years at UCLA, where I plan to pursue civil engineering.
Thank you for everything 🙂
Written By: Angie Francisco, Sports Editor